layout: post title: Apple predictions, how video is useful created: 1128916395 categories:

• rumours
• speculation
• Video iPod
• iPod
• Apple
• Airport Express Video
• Canada
• Mac

Troy posts some predictions for Apple's October 12 event. He figures Intel-based Powerbooks and iPod Minis that have no hard drives. He also says "I really doubt all this nonsense about video iPods. I just can't see it. Video is not that useful to people".

Well, I've already speculated that an Airport Express Video might be more likely than a video iPod (I would buy a Sony PSP over a video iPod...but that would mean Apple would need to allow Fairplay DRM to be built into the PSP, which seems unlikely).

I've been writing about iTunes Movies since October 2004...when the iPod Photo came out. I really do think video is "useful" to people. At least, in the small world of anecdotal stories.

Apple has stopped posting new music video content for the past couple of weeks. This seems to be one indication that *something* with video is coming. What if they did offer video content? Movies? TV Shows? I mean, Google Video is already going to be offering UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris".

I would pay for video. I don't have cable, but I do have a very nice screen and computer. I have no way of getting legal video content. The posting How Bob the Millionaire Became a Pirate, describing how it is impossible to get video online, is a good illustration of the problem.

What would Apple price video at? Movies vs. TV shows would of course have separate pricing. I can't see movies going for any less than $9.99. So let's say TV shows are $4.99 each. That's 5 shows per month vs. basic cable at $25, or 13 shows per month vs. full cable at $65. The numbers seem to make sense...if the movie industry actually makes it possible.

Of course, copyrights are once again per country, so it will be years before we get this in Canada. Regardless of what the "one more thing..." is, we're all looking forward to the unveiling this Wednesday.

Update: Jeremy Hubert whispers about inside sources, suggesting that there are indeed video *things* in the works for tomorrow. As well, Roland and I went to Simply Computing today, and they are out of stock on PowerMacs and PowerBooks. Will it, in fact, not be one more thing, but but a bunch more things?